Poetic Moments

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul, 

And sings the tune without the words,

and never stops at all.

And sweetest is the gale is heard;

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little bird

That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,

And on the strangest sea;

Yet, never, in extremity,

It asked a crumb of me.

Emily Dickinson, 

1830 - 1866

***

After being away on holiday,

I felt like coming back to simplicity today

with a short blog entry 

and two black and white images

which both speak to me on this quiet Sunday morning.

The lovely poem is by one of my favourite American poets:

Emily Dickinson

Colour Me Autumn!

Let's start with the Tulip Tree against a clear October sky

and zoom in on the top of the tree to get the full golden glow

Or an early evening walk past an orchard in shades of spring

yet the leaves in the foreground tell us otherwise

So gorgeous when the golden leaves take on a burnished hue

Maple leaves showing us their transition of the season

Many leaves are falling and we can see next spring's buds against the sky

Three little berries that the birds will soon find

and a Ginkgo biloba turning gold in front of the local school

A glorious show of red Maple leaves

like flames against the blue of the sky

A close-up of some beautiful colours in the park.

Persian Ironwood turn the most marvellous colurs in the autûmn.

Standing on tiptoe to capture these leaves at the top of a bush in the evening sun.

Persian Ironwood again (Parrotia persica)

As soon as I see the start of a sunset, I grab my camera to try and catch

the rapidly changing colours.

The sunsets have been exceptional

and I have often rushed out right after supper to capture them  in nearby streets

where there are less obstacles of buildings.

I have to move fast before they fade away! 

Coming home through the park, I was suddenly dazzled

by this wonderful sun-flare through a gap in the tree trunk.

We have been having an exceptional month of October with temperatures

varying between 18-22C.

I've been collecting seeds from the plants on my balcony garden.

These remind me of little parachutes and are so pretty!

Returning from my early evening walk, I caught the first signs of the pastel sunset¨

in these reflections on a wall behind a young Ginkgo tree.

Pink anemone against a backdrop of autumnal bokeh

Here's my little owl mascot holding up an autumn leaf!

I hope you're all enjoying the wonderful colours of the season wherever you live.

I shall be taking a short blog break as I'm going on holiday at the end of the week.

See you again at the end of this month!

Till then, enjoy the wonderful season!

***

Note:

All photographs have been taken in my immediate neighbourhood.

Who would have thought that there was such beauty on the upper part of town?

The Terrace - Scene & Story September 2017

Imagine an outside terrace on a balmy September day.

Sitting in the shade of some plane trees

with the sun peeking through the tiny spaces between the leaves.

Can you feel the warmth on your skin?

There's a soft unobtrusive murmur of voices from other tables.

They do not perturb the peaceful atmosphere as the tables are well spaced.

You look up to see how a natural shady canopy has been formed

by the branches of the trees and how the sun illuminates the leaves,

creating moving patterns in an almost imperceptible breeze.

You lower your eyes where a glass of wine has been poured as you await your meal.

See how the sheen on the glass creates a soft background of colour.

There are impressionist-like soft smudges of green and orange

created by oleander bushes and geraniums

The back of a wicker chair enters into your line of vision

and you notice little dapples of light which escape through the spaces on the weave.

Just close your eyes for a few moments.

Slow down your breathing.

Feel any little signs of stress just melt away

letting the scene and ambiance envelope you through your mind's eye.

Doesn't that feel good?

This is what it's like to sit on an outside terrace by the lake

on a sunny September day.

*****

Click here for the Scene & Story monthly link-up at Paisley Rain Boots